Newsletters from Mexico

Our staff in Mexico regularly put together a newsletter which is sent to volunteers working in Mexico at the time, those signed up to join a project in Mexico and to previous volunteers. The newsletters contain information about the country and our projects, stories written by volunteers, advice on what to expect when volunteering abroad in Mexico and much more. If you're considering overseas voluntary work the newsletters are a great way to gain a better idea of what to expect.

The past week we have helped serve food for people who live on the streets of the city alongside our newest project partner MAMA AC. This is an organisation working with homeless children but is now expanding to assist the elderly as well.

Meet German intern Jakob Ernst (19). He is a charming young man with a bright future in the medical field ahead of him. Responsible, well-mannered and easy-going, that's how his former team at Cruz Verde Deladillo Araujo remembers him after his experience in Mexico from September until December of last year.

"I wanted to come to Mexico to experience the culture and its people. I also wanted to assist in a humanitarian program where I could be of help. This is why I chose to volunteer for four months in the day care center Divina Providencia", shares Tiffany who is known in her placement for being responsible and committed to her job but also for being easy-going and friendly with everyone.

When asked about her experience in Mexico, Jessica Porreye has only one answer:"It has been the journey of my life". One has to believe her: When talking to Jessica you hear the passion with which she speaks about her work at the animal rehab center in Guadalajara and her verdict is clear: She loved the work she did, the people she worked with and the closeness with the animals of the center.

Since the middle of May, Simon Hendrikse, a Dutch volunteer form Rotterdam, has been working hard with the children at this organization to teach them his most beloved sport: capoeira. "With capoeira, you not only learn how to fight, how to dance or how to play music. You also learn how to become stronger individually and as a team."

Heather arrived with many expectations about what she was going to encounter. However, Mexico turned out to be very different to what she had anticipated. Her initial project took her to an care centre for young boys whose parents had been incarcerated. Heather experienced being met initially with a mixture of hesitance and curiosity. However, this was soon replaced with genuine interest and friendliness.

German volunteer, Hendrik Hämke, spends 8 weeks at the Conservation Project in Tecoman. Mexico is a country that is undoubtedly blessed with an abundance of natural beauty. From jungles, mangroves and deserts to mountains and volcano’s, the country has a wide variety of ecosystems. However, rapid economic development in the last decades has jeopardized the future of these ecosystems and with them the future of various animal species that are fast becoming endangered.

In 2003, German volunteer from Berlin, Tatjana Kotschenreuther decided that it was time to make a radical change in her life. With this in mind, she decided to travel to Mexico with Projects Abroad to work at the Conservation Project based in Tecoman, 6 hours’ journey from Guadalajara.

New Hampshire Health Sciences graduate Amy Cotton spent three months volunteering at an care centre and hospital with Projects Abroad in Mexico. “For a long time I had a yearning for the knowledge that remains unique to one with worldly experience, and my desire to explore this truth was my true motivation for my decision to volunteer abroad,” she shared.

Lake Chapala is one of Jalisco’s best day trips, a must see for everyone. The kind of place where you would spend the whole day just relaxing and walking around the lake or the square, eating ice cream (very famous by the way) or enjoying some delicious sea food.

We have had our very first volunteer collaborating in the park and it was a success. we want to say thank you to James Kitchin for his commitment and also to Ricardo Tovar and the authorities in the park!

According to our tourist visas we had already stayed in Mexico for respectively one and two months, when we arrived to Guadalajara Airport. We had both stayed in Playa del Carmen for a longer time and we actually thought that this was Mexico.

The Day Care Center "Desarrollo Infantil Divina Providencia" is a center founded by a catholic group of nuns with the aim to provide to poor and single moms of the area an excellent place to leave their children while they have to work to support their families.

My two month placement at Cuidad Guzman has flown by and it seems like only yesterday that Candy and Francisco were welcoming me - as they have many previous Projects Abroad volunteers - and helping me to feel at home.

The Animal Care Project is run by an organisation called SEMARNAT (Secretaria del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales). It is a fantastic place for people who love animals and want to dedicate their lives to the profession. Work is available with a variety of animals, both wild and domestic.

If you are planning to be in Guadalajara (or you already are here) and you like sports, our city has lots of different options to do with sports and activities related to it. Today we will talk about the Half Marathon, which takes place in February, this year on the 17th.